Thill-coupling.



PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

No. 852,753. I A. H. WORREST.

- THILL COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED THE, 13, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Attorney PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

A. H. WORREST. THILL COUPLING.

A IOATION FILED FEB 13 0s 2 SHEETS8HBBT 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFCE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1907.

Application filed February 13, 1906. Serial No. 300,895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED H. Wonnns'r, a resident of Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in thill couplings, an object of the invention being to provide improvements of this character in which the shafts or tongue irons are movable laterally onto the thill ournals and locked against lateral displacement and by reason of this manner of assembling should the locking means of one coupling become injured or open the other will hold the shafts or tongue and prevent accidents due to dropping shafts, so common with devices now in use.

A further object is to provide a thill coup lin which has the general appearance of the orc inary bolt and nut coupler but which is quick acting and dispenses altogether with the employment of bolts, nuts, rivets and other like devices.

A further object is to rovide improved mounting for an anti-ratt ing spring and in which the spring hold the locking device in locked position.

A further object is to provide an improved thill coupling which requires no tools of any character to manipulate the same.

l/Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrange ments of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View, illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a View showing the coupling open and thill iron removed. Figs. 3 and 4 are views in section and Figs. 5 and 6 are views of details of construction. Fig. 7 is a plan View showing both thills and the arrangement of the couplings therefor.

1 represents a metal clip having an integral outwardly projecting approximately horizontal ear 2 at one side and an integral downwardly inclined ear 3 opposite ear 2. This ear 2 is made with a smaller depending ear 4 having an opening 5 alining with a similar opening in the outer end of inclined ear 3 and an eccentric shaft 7 is mounted in the opening 5 and provided on its outer ends outside of cars 3 and 4 with keys or lugs 8 to tie the ears against spreading. This eccentric shaft 7 is paced in position by spreading ears 3 and 4 or bending only one of them, and when the eccentric shaft 7 is placed in position the ear or cars are bent back to position to receive the shaft, the ears being made with key ways for the entrance of keys 8, said key ways being so located that the keys will be out of alinement therewith when the eccentric shaft is in either of its extreme operative positions.

A laterally projecting horizontal journal 9 is made integral with or permanently fixed to ear 2 and an angular enlargement 10 is provided on the outer side of this ear 2 and has the appearance of a bolt head or nut on journal 9. This journal 9 is to receive the shaft or tongue iron 11 and is made with an annular groove 12 at its free end to receive internal locking flanges 13 in a hollow enlargement 14 on a locking arm 15, which latter is integral with eccentric shaft 7. The hollow enlargement 14 is adapted to inclose the end of journal 9 with its locking flanges 13 in groove 12 and securely hold the shaft iron against lateral displacement from the journal. The hollow enlargement 14 is made rectangular exteriorly to resemble a nut or bolt head and has a tongue 16 to engage ear 3 and give to the device a more perfect resemblance to the ordinary bolt and nut secured in parallel cars, such as is in common use.

17 represents a spring, composed of a strip of steel, bent at its lower end into something less than a complete cylinder to receive the eccentric shaft 7 and it will be observed that this eccentric shaft 7 is flattened on one side to permit this cylindrical end of the spring to be readily forced thereon or removed therefrom when the shaft is turned to throw the locking arm down and away from the journal 9. The upper end of spring 17 is bent downward in a compound curvature to permit the ready insertion of the thill iron onto the journal and its removal therefrom when the look ing arm is swung down. l/Vhen the locking arm is swung up to locked position eccentric shaft 7 will be turned to force the spring 17 lightly against the shaft or tongue iron and IOC prevent rattling, and the spring by reason of the tension thus given thereto will hold the eccentric shaft against turning and hence securely hold the locking arm in engagement with the journal.

It will be observed that my improved coupling while having the general appearance of a bolt and nut securing the shaft iron between parallel ears, it employs no bolts or nuts or other like parts liable to become loosened or lost, and its simplicity and generally attractive appearance recommend its use on the finest of vehicles It will also be observed that should the locking arm of a coupler be thrown out of locked position from any cause, the shaft iron will be held on the journal, for the shafts or tongue cannot move laterally to release themselves from the journals until the locking arms of both couplings are thrown down and this is something it is fair to suppose will never happen accidentally.

A great many slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from my invention and hence I would have it understood that I do not restrict myself to the precise details set forth but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and sccipe of my invention.

aving fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- Patent, is

1. A thill coupling comprising a support, a laterally projecting journal permanently fixed to the support and onto which the shaft or tongue iron must be slid laterally, and means for engaging the free end of the fixed journal to prevent the removal of the shaft or tongue iron.

2. The combination of two thill couplings, laterally projecting journals on said couplings permanently fixed at one end and free at their other ends, two shaft or tongue irons, means rigidly connecting them to compel them to be moved simultaneously when they are moved laterally onto or from the fixed journals, and means engaging the free ends of the fixed journals to lock the irons thereon against lateral movement and requiring the release of both locking means before either or both irons can be removed from the j ournals.

3. In athill coupling the combination with a support and. an outwardly projecting ear thereon, of a laterally projecting journal permanently fixed at one end to the ear, a shaft or tongue iron to be moved laterally onto or from the journal, and a locking device to engage the free end of the journal and secure the iron thereon and constituting the bearing for the free end of the journal.

4. In a thill coupling, the combination with a support, and an outwardly projecting ear thereon, of a laterally projecting journal permanently fixed to said ear, a shaft or tongue iron to be moved laterally onto or from the ournal, and an arm constituting a bearing for the free end of the fixed journal and having locking engagement therewith.

5. In a thill coupling, the combination with a support and an outwardly projecting ear thereon, of a laterally projecting journal fixed at one end to the ear and having an annular groove in its free end, a swinging locking arm, and a hollow enlargement on said arm having internal flanges to engage in the groove in the journal and lock a shaft or tongue iron thereon.

6. In a thill coupling, the combination with a support, of a laterally projecting journal permanently fixed at one end to the support, an eccentric shaft mounted in the support below the journal, a shaft or tongue iron on the journal, a locking arm on the eccentric shaft having a bearing for the free end of the journal and engaging the latter to lock the iron thereon, and an anti-rattler spring, bearing against the iron and holding the eccentric shaft and locking arm against accidental movement.

7. In a thill coupling, the combination with a support, of a laterally projecting journal permanently fixed at one end to the support, an eccentric shaft below the journal, a shaft or tongue iron on the journal, a spring bearing against the iron and bent to partially encompass the eccentric shaft and the shaft having a flat side to permit the easy removal of the spring when the shaft is in an inoperative position, a locking arm on the eccentric shaft having a bearing for the fixed journal and engaging the latter to lock the iron thereon, and said spring put under maximum tension by the eccentric shaft when the locking arm is swung to locked position to hold the arm in this position and also prevent rattling of the coupler.

8. A thillcoupling comprising asupport, an outwardly projecting ear thereon, a laterally projecting journal integral with the car, a swinging locking arm to engage the free end of the journal to hold a shaft or tongue iron thereon, and angular enlargements on the locking arm and ear at the ends of the journal. In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED H. WORREST. Witnesses:

S. W. FosTER, A. W. BRIGHT. 

